Missile strikes halt production at major Ukrainian steelworks

ArcelorMittal said on 25 September that it could not safely and sustainably restart its Kryvyi Rih steelworks after four missile strikes in five weeks. The company said five people had been killed and 17 employees injured, with the latest strike on 21 September. It expects to record a non-cash impairment of about $1 billion, principally on plant and equipment. [1]

At Zaporizhstal, operator Metinvest said production stopped after an 11 August attack that killed eight employees. It reported further strikes, saying on 17 September that the plant had been hit in four attacks involving 17 ballistic missiles since August. A Metinvest executive later told a conference in Kyiv that an attempt to restart a furnace had lasted 10 hours before another air strike. [11][6][8]

Interpipe’s Dnipro facility also halted production after a 22 September strike that killed four people and injured seven, GMK Center reported, citing the company. [5]

Russia’s defence ministry has said its forces struck metallurgical enterprises in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih, alleging they produced goods for military use. It specifically claimed Zaporizhstal supplied sheet metal for protective structures and armour. Metinvest said the plant produced steel for civilian purposes and did not make military products. The group has separately described supplying steel for protective equipment and making shelters for troops through other operations in 2022. [9][12][7]

Ukraine produced 4.30 million tonnes of steel from January to August, 12.5% less than in the same period of 2025, industry association Ukrmetallurgprom reported. The Centre for Economic Strategy estimated that broader metallurgical production fell by 30–40% in August compared with July, citing export and trade constraints alongside capacity lost to attacks.